The Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens put aside their rivalry for a bit.

While there’s no shortage of on-ice hatred whenever the Bruins and Canadiens hook up, the NHL franchises clearly understand there are real issues facing society nowadays. This is evident in a new public service announcement featuring several Bruins and Canadiens players, including Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, P.K. Subban and Max Pacioretty.

The powerful PSA, which debuted Thursday, aims to strike out discrimination. According to USA TODAY’s For the Win, it’s the first step of a new partnership between the NHL and the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE) that hopes to harness the unifying power of sport to advance race relations and drive social progress.

The B’s and Habs surely will put it all on the line Friday at the NHL Winter Classic, just like they do every time they share the ice. It’s important to take a step back every now and then, though.